Woodland Rotary - Photos - Annual

NOTE: TO SHOW THE MOST RECENT STORIES ON TOP OF THIS PAGE, STORIES ARE LISTED HERE IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (MOST RECENT ON TOP, EARLIER DATES BELOW).

June 30th Meeting

With a good crowd witnessing, Club President Tony Delevati started his last meeting in office by offering a quotation by Winston Churchill. Looking at his list of Upcoming Dates we see Tony's priorities ahead as he notes July is National Ice Cream Month. Finally, President Tony gave an overview of the annual dues statement which recently was mailed to all Club members.

It was nice to see Lisa Martinez attend her first meeting in quite awhile. She paid for her birthday on May 7th (Woodland; 1981), and for her 15th wedding anniversary on June 4th to her high school sweetheart Larry Dunham. Marc Faye (not pictured) paid for his 60th wedding anniversary with wife Gerda coming up on July 3rd (Tahoe City).

Outgoing Immediate Past President Mike Chandler gave a review of Tony's year as President and presented him with a plaque from the Club and his new badge as Immediate Past President. He also reminded the Club that Tony will take on a new job as President of the Woodland Rotary Endowment for 2020-21.

IPP Mike Chandler also introduced incoming Club President Tabb Randolph and presented him with his badge. Tabb will be taking charge at his first meeting next Tuesday, July 7th.

President Tony then took some time to thank the many Club members who have made this difficult year successful. Among those he thanked were his fellow Club's Officers, Board of Directors, incoming President Tabb Randolph and several committee chairs who have kept important business of the Club going. His final offering was a personal statement to the Club. Thank you Tony!

June 23rd Meeting

Short timer President Tony Delevati opened the meeting with a grin on his face. No one guessed the author of his quotation of the day (Peter Drucker).

Our guest speaker today was Woodland's own Rosanne Callens, Career and Education Program Manager at Travis Air Force Base, who gave us a presentation on assisting veterans who retire from U.S. military service as they transition to professional careers in the private sector. Thanks to Gary Wegener (a retired veteran himself!) for arranging and introducing this informative program.

June 16th Meeting

Approaching Fathers Day, we heard stories about dads visiting daughters today. Bob Nakken spent time this weekend with his nationally famous daughter Alyssa (she appeared on the cover of the May/June issue of Baseball Digest) in the Bay Area. President Tony Delevati drove to be with his daughter and enjoyed holding his 9 month old grandchild.

Nick Roncoroni got an early warning for his anniversary on June 21st. PDG Karl Diekman gave us an update on a major international grant application our Club is sponsoring. Gary Bunch made his first appearance at a virtual Club meeting today, and paid for his June 3rd wedding anniversary. Chuck Maltese announced the 2020 Rotary Mystery Golf trip has been rescheduled for September 16. He says there are a few openings and those interested should contact him ASAP.

President-nominee Dan Stroski gave the Club an update on plans for the new scoreboard in Woodland High School's Stadium project, for which we raised funds at our 2020 Dinner Auction. Dan was also happy to receive packages of medical face masks, a gift from his exchange students' parents in China. The masks will soon be contributed by the Club to the Woodland Clinic & Hospital.

Robyn Miller, Principal of Woodland's Spring Lake Elementary School, and fellow Rotarian with the Woodland Sunrise club, was our guest speaker today. Robyn delivered a presentation on Woodland Joint Unified School District's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and conversion to a system of Distance Learning. For more information about the District's efforts and plans, visit it's website at: https://www.wjusd.org/Departments/Educational-Services/Distance-Learning--School-Closure-Information/index.html

June 9th Meeting

President Tony Delevati, relishing his last month in office, led our meeting today. He offered a fine-free day to anyone who could name the author of his quote of the day. No one knew it was said by Muhammed Ali.

Ernie Hughes was happy about getting a haircut last week, the first in quite awhile. Gary Wegener wanted to know the name of Ernie's barber (with good reason!).

Chief Derrek Kaff, of the Woodland Police Department was our guest speaker again today, giving us a presentation on police work during these difficult times. Program coordinator Lori Ross introduced the Chief, and emphasized Derrek's significant contact within the community, such as his work with United Way in Woodland.

Fire Engine Project

- update as of June 4

Gary Wegener reports the project to transfer a local fire engine to Mexico is nearing its last stages, as the rig, known as the 'Triple Whammy' left Woodland on March 13. Some years ago the Woodland Fire Support Branch acquired and restored a stand-alone tanker trailer which was designed and built in 1972 by our local Springlake Fire Protection District. Though usable, the unit’s configuration was no longer insurable for operation in the United States. When the Woodland Fire Support Branch decided to get the unit transferred to a department that could use it, Rotary stepped in. Orinda Rotary, identified El Grullo, Mexico as the intended recipient. Our Club agreed with Orinda Rotary to split the $2500 cost of shipping the unit by semi-truck trailer to the Mexican border. Work on the complex details of transport, export/import, and ownership transfer aspects related to getting the unit to its new home is nearing completion. The Guadalajara Rotary Club is coordinating the various organizations in Mexico, getting commitments to help ensure the unit will be safely and efficiently put to its intended use. Members from Rio Vista and Tahoe City Rotary, who recently delivered a fire engine to Mulege in Baja California, have been a great help in navigating the border crossing logistics and ensuring the engine is ‘road ready’. They took the rig to a Rotarian’s shop in Rio Vista for minor maintenance in preparation for shipping to San Diego.

On June 4, Guadalajara Rotary emailed the Mexican government's equivalent to the IRS 'confirmed the truck is exempt from import taxes and is expected to clear customs next week'. The email goes on to indicate representatives of the El Grullo bomberos (fire department) will soon fly to Tijuana to take possession of the Triple Whammy and transport it to its new home in El Grullo.

On or about July 27, 2020 the Triple Whammy arrived at its new home in El Grullo, Mexico.

Five Rotary Clubs effectively partnered on this project.?

Chuck's Corner

Words of wisdom from our own

Chuck Maltese

6/27/20 - It’s been awhile since I wrote a column. Nothing came to mind during my daily dull life. This virus sure has changed things. This could be the first summer that we did not have a trip to somewhere. Whether it was the Grand Canyon, Boston or Germany. So many wonderful places to visit. It is kind of nice to be watching a movie and be able to say “I have been there.” I encourage everyone to travel. Whether it’s to one of the National Parks, east coast city or to another continent. Somehow find the time and funds to go. We are only on this earth once and I suspect that you have figured out that “time flies” whether you are locked down or not. This lifestyle can’t last forever—can it??

So, how about a couple thoughts while locked down:

+ Remember when paper bags were being blamed for destruction of trees—plastic bags were the answer.

+ I recently bought a toilet brush—long story short—I’m going back to toilet paper.

+ On a diet—does the jelly in a doughnut count as a serving of fruit?

+ Some people only write lockdown because they can’t spell kwarinteen.

+ Facial recognition software can pick a person out of a crowd but the vending machine can’t recognize a dollar with a bent corner.

+ Doing Crunches twice a day now. Captain in the morning, Nestle in the afternoon.

+ A household hint—Stop dusting and you can use your coffee table as a Message board.

6/15/20 - Well, we are almost out of the “stay at home” decree (unless all of those rioters, looters and demonstrators not practicing social distancing cause an uptick and they close us up again!). I have decided to list the good things and bad things as a result of the virus siege from my perspective.

GOOD:

1. I discovered that my wife and my neighbors are nice people.

2. We re-discovered the wonderful card game of Cribbage.

3. A wonderful exhibition of clever videos, song parodies and skits all dealing

with the virus and stay at home themes were created.

4. Parents now have a strong belief that teachers are wonderful, strong people.

5. Good time to buy a vehicle—Hertz has filed bankruptcy and there are

thousands of used vehicles for sale.

6. Animals in our State / National Parks have been able to take back their domain.

7. I saved lots of money by not buying gas, clothes, entertainment or eating out.

8. Families started to have dinner together as a family and talking to each other.

BAD:

1. High School Seniors missed out on their proms and graduation ceremonies.

2. Churches were closed.

3. My baseball hero Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers, passed. I still have one of his

uniforms that I purchased at a fund raiser many years ago.

4. I rediscovered Campbell soups.

5. 2 months without golf—still remember the smile on my wife’s face as I left

for the golf course finally.

6. Wearing of masks has been a real pain—speaking of “I can’t breathe”.?

6/8/20 - I had a treat the other day. I had lunch sitting by the river in an outside patio. I watched the fast current of the Sacramento River and folks getting their boats ready for the season. It was so nice to be outside and not in my backyard. When I sit there my wife comes out and finds something else for me to do “while I am out.” Our shackles are starting to be loosen by the royalty—hopefully no more official proclamations. I miss our regular Rotary meetings and the comradery. Our current President and In-coming President have done wonderful jobs of keeping the spirit of Rotary via Zoom and Venmo.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED:

+ You shouldn't pressure wash the kitchen floor before you check with your wife.

+ Make sure that you know what "A little Bit" means before cutting your wife's hair.

+ It it important to put the lid on the blender before you turn it on.

+ The button on the side of an electric drill changes the direction of the drilling motion.

+ Put the knife on the right side of the dinner plate.

+ There is a way to remove those stupid "DIY products", sales programs, etc. from the TV Guide with your remote.

+ If you walk with your wife don't hold her hand--apparently it affects her balance, cadence, and some other stuff.

+ Started talking to the neighbors--they seem like nice people.

6/1/20 - Well, I have no idea if anyone is reading this “stuff,” but I will write on as long as I have to stay at home. Once we are released from the “stay at home” decree I have a long list of activities to address. Unfortunately, I am not sure if they include my wife. I need some alone time away from home. My two current locations are the garage and my bathroom. I will vote on including her at a later date.

Here are some virus-related thoughts that deal with our senior citizens:

+ I really think that ‘tossing & turning’ at night should count as exercise.

+ I guess I am officially old—I spent 10 minutes chasing an eye floater with a fly

swatter.

+ I see people climbing mountains, I feel good getting my leg through my

underware without losing my balance.

+ Most people don’t think I’m as old as I am until they hear me stand up.

+ As I watch this generation try to rewrite history, one thing I’m sure of is it will

be misspelled and have no punctuation.

June 2nd Meeting

President Tony Delevati opened the first meeting of his last month in office today. His inspirational comment came from the late tennis star Arthur Ashe. About 30 folks joined in on the virtual meeting today. He also offered former NFL player Josh McCown's comments on race in America.

Steve Venables took the lead in singing our Rotary Grace. Barbara Sonin discovered the author of President Tony's inspirational thought and was fine free for the day as a result. She also paid for her May 23rd birthday. Woodland Sunrise Rotarian Julia Larson visited us today. And Kevin Haarberg made his first appearance at a virtual Club meeting today.

Gary Wirth was our program speaker today, giving us an presentation on the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse which Gary witnessed and photographed west of the Grand Tetons, near Idaho Falls, Idaho. While he also shared photos of other interesting sites he had visited in that area, his talk concentrated on the rare phenomenon of the sun being totally eclipsed by the moon.

Rotary Helps

Woodland Kids Read

Shawn Seyk, Blair Voelz and Kris Kristensen recently joined other Woodland Rotarians in helping United Way get childrens books ready for distribution to local kids in their Woodland Kids Read program.

May 26th Meeting

President Tony Delevati got the meeting started promptly at 12:15pm. The Rogues' Gallery was ready! No one guessed President Tony's inspirational thought of the day came from Desmond Tutu.

Our guest speaker today was Judge David Reed, Superior Court of California, Yolo County, who gave us a presentation on 'The Pandemic Effect on the Court System'. David is also a fellow Rotarian and President-elect of the Luna Vista Club. Speaking to us from San Diego where he is visiting family, Judge Reed gave us a chronological report on how our local courts have been meeting the challenges of the COVID-19 virus crisis. Thanks to President-elect Tabb Randolph for introducing our speaker today.

Shelter Scenes

What are some of our members doing during

Shelter-In-Place?

See Lori & Art Ross' video: https://youtu.be/lpHULCkGLhE

President-nominee Dan Stroski with his dog Sarge: https://youtu.be/LTPQuh6gwFs

Gaye and Bob Nakken spent a recent weekend babysitting their nine month old grandson Maxwell. Aunt Alyssa was there to help also.

Gary Wegener has been finishing up this dollhouse for his granddaughter.

Alan Flory spent a few days on Iwo Jima during his service and thought these photos would be appropriate for Memorial Day. The flag sits on a monument honoring the U.S. Marines who fought there. The beach is where the Marines' landing took place.

Former member Mahlon Whittle is enjoying his gardening in Hawaii.

May 19th Meeting

President Tony Delevati shared some details about Woodland's

Rotary Takeout Tuesday program.

Vince Olvera, Post Commander of American Legion Yolo Post 77, was our guest speaker today, reviewing with us plans for our community's Memorial Day commemoration.

May 12th Meeting

President Tony Delevati led today's session with an update on various Club and Rotary matters. All three Woodland Rotary clubs are encouraging members to 'Take Out Tuesday' - get food to go from local restaurants to provide support them with support early each week. President Tony is looking for the Club to use a smartphone application called Venmo so members can pay for regular Club expenses; more information will be made available. In response to the Honolulu Convention which had to be cancelled, Rotary International is putting together a 2020 Rotary Virtual Convention from June 20-26; more information can be viewed here.

In response to President Tony's request for stories on what members are doing during 'shelter in place', Blair Voelz provided pictures about the work he is doing at his rice fields.

More ' shelter in" photos from Blair Voelz: an April cabin hike in the Empire Mountain area & some photos from the Voelz's gardening.

Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez was our guest speaker for today's session. He gave us an overview of the Sheriff's responsibilities and some of the current issues he and his office are addressing. Thanks to President-nominee Dan Stroski for introducing Sheriff Lopez today.

May 5th Meeting

Local resident Lucinda Talkington was our guest speaker today, telling us about her March 2020 trip aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship traveling from San Francisco to Hawaii & Mexico when many passengers and crew became ill with the corona virus. Thank you Gary Wegener for arranging and introducing this interesting program.

Wendy Casas-Raviotta was happy her husband, Joseph Raviotta can now return to work as a tower crane operator in San Francisco.

Steve Venables, in his first time participating in the Club's virtual meetings, told us about his birthday on April 6 (1942, Visalia CA), and his April 15th wedding anniversary he shares with Lydia (1978, Carson City).

Chuck's Corner

Words of wisdom from our own

Chuck Maltese

5/25/20 - Well, we took the plunge at my house today and cut each others’ hair. In my case it didn’t take long. I learned you should make very sure what a “little bit” means when cutting your wife’s hair. It will be chaos when 300 Californians want their hair cut at the same time. The type of scissors you use is important. I tried a pair from my workshop—no good. Went into the kitchen and used the pair we use for everything. Question: why do we call one scissor a pair?

+ We have a sifter in the kitchen; apparently it has something to do with baking flour.

+ If you don't filter flour is that how you get: large holes in a slice of bread or bad toast?

+ I got trapped into vacuuming the rug: I commented on the lines left on the carpet after she vacuumed. She said you could also make designs on the carpet and offered to show me. Now, I have to vacuum.

+ While vacuuming I discovered how those marks were created on the floorboards

+ I saw women with a safety pin through her eyelid--I didn't know they could fall off.

+ If you get stopped by a cop----start coughing.

+ Could we combine Corona virus with Lyme disease?

+ Gave my wife a mud pack on her face--looked good for 2 days--then the mud fell off.

+ Decided to do a Juice Cleanse--who knew that you were to drink it.

5/18/20 - Not sure anyone is reading this column. Will keep doing it until I get bored or we are let out of houses. Happy to see some States are loosening up the guidelines. Lots of folks need to get back to work. Won’t be fun listening / reading comments from the “Monday morning quarterbacks” after this is over. Those same folks right now could not explain to you the various types of testing now available, but they can explain that we have a shortage of tests. I don’t understand the reason to be tested if you don’t have symptoms. You could be affected five minutes after reading that your test came back negative. I suppose some of those “have to have everything before the next guy” people will stand in line without symptoms.

Some other thoughts:

+ If they keep the schools closed much longer—mothers will find the cure

+ Looks like Las Vegas in my house; losing money, cocktails at any time and

nobody knows what time it is

+ Tried to make our own hand sanitizer—it came out like a vodka & tonic

+ If you are paying $3.00 for a bottle of Smart Water—it’s not working

+ My emotional support dog doesn’t even like me?

5/11/20 - My wife and I occasionally binge watch a popular series that someone has suggested. Now with the quarantine it is a very popular past time. It seems to me that there should be some suggested rules on the proper way to binge watch:

+ take turns deciding what to watch

+ no chick flicks

+ bathroom breaks are to be announced ahead of time for proper scheduling of snack runs

+ all binge watching should be enjoyed in 5 hour blocks--cushions need to be fluffed up

+ at the beginning of each binge-watching day a proper vacuuming of the space between cushions, etc. is a must!

+ popcorn should only be served in the evening--how could anyone smell popcorn all day?

+ sit upright when eating ice cream, especially if it has chocolate sauce on it, stains are hard to take out of your sweat shirt

+ PJs are not to worn after noon. When you get up to make lunch—change!

5/4/20 - I went to COSTCO this morning. Took advantage of the early senior hours. I was offended that the lady at the entrance did not ask for my ID to verify my age. Since I am not allowed out in the public very often (my wife is German) so I won’t get affected I was not ready for the scene of 100 shoppers looking like bank robbers. Everyone had masks on. Some masks looked like they should--a mask , some were nothing but a bandana. Saw two people that had not covered their nose just their mouths—probably put on by their husbands. Going there early did pay off. I saw toilet paper, paper napkins and paper towels and a mountain of bottle water. The last two times that I went there the shopping lane was bare.

How about a few random thoughts about the virus:

+ For the first time in American history we can save the human race by laying in front of the TV and doing nothing--let's not screw this up.

+ 8:00pm is the official time to remove your day PJs and put on your night PJs.

+ Gas is now affordable and I can't go anywhere.

+ To go to the grocery store they said a mask and gloves were enough--they lied! everyone else had clothes on.

+ For the third time this week I'm buying booze for the next two weeks.

+ Living in quarantine is like living in a haunted house. There are smells and sounds that can't be explained.

+ Joyce says she is making me a mask made out of cellophane--goes over my nose and mouth.

+ While I finish this column I can see Joyce at the kitchen window crying---maybe I should let her back in.

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